2 Things

Thing Number 1: I have oodles of photos from November that I haven't done a thing with. So, I'm doing something with them. You can see a selection of the 800 or so (some stolen from Grandma and Grandpa, but they'll never post them so I'll do it instead) photos here:

November In Photos

Thing Number 2: My baby is now ten months old. Let me repeat that. MY BABY! TEN MONTHS! OLD!!!! Inconceivable!

Here's what Dex thinks of my photo taking skills...

Life is good when there's a ball involved

Oh, what's this? A little holiday spirit from the little man!

Santa's helper, trying desperately to reach the dog who is, wisely, on the back of the couch

Dex is now a walking fool.

Showing Off

Dex has been busy learning new things the past few weeks. He wanted you to have a look at what he's been doing. Enjoy!

Pop! A Tutorial

Dexter is feeling professorial today. If you please, allow him to show you how to use the ball popper.

OK, so here's the deal. You start with a ball. I kind of like this pink ball, but there's five colors so just pick one.

I would advise you to first taste the ball to be sure it is acceptable.

Then slowly move toward the ball popper apparatus. Move slowly, making sure the thing isn't actually turned ON (scary!) Editor's note - seriously. Don't turn the ball popper on. It makes the small child cry.

Put the ball in the orange tray, thusly...

Watch the ball roll down. It helps, I've found, to furrow your brow in concentration, as I am showing here.

Repeat with balls of different color. Continue til all balls are in the popper, then pull it over in an attempt to remove the balls from said popper. Look cute enough so that Mom will offer assistance.

It's kind of incredible watching this kid, you know, LEARN stuff. Like how to put the balls in the popper, or the shapes in the shape sorter (not in the shape holes, but just in the top). And have him figure out he can reach his little hand back in the shape sorter to get something out. Or figure out how to play catch with a ball. Or how to shake something with his hand (it helps tremendously if Daddy sings "shake-shake-shake, shake-shake-shake, shake your booty, shake your booty"). Or how to wave bye-bye. And it's really incredible to realize that all that stuff just happened in the past week.

I can just hear the grandmas now... "Our boy - he is a GENIUS!" :-)

PS - Brownie points to you if you can figure out what looks different about Dexter's appearance!

Why my baby won't sign any time soon

In sign language class yesterday one of the moms asked why her six month old baby wasn't signing back to her yet. And the nice instructor said not to expect any signs til 9 months at the very earliest, and that twelve months was more common. She also said girls usually will sign back sooner, because girls are more interested in communicating with people, while boys are more interested in doing THIS:






Dear Lord, help us - the baby is climbing the stairs...

Things I Want to Remember

Dear Dexter,

My math isn't the greatest (don't tell Grandpa, because he's a MATH TEACHER, although he still counts on his fingers, too) but I do believe, if I counted correctly, that you have officially been outside of my body for longer than you were inside it. And check it out! I can keep you alive in both environments! Go, me!

So inside my body in 9 months you gained 8 pounds, 4 oz and grew 22 inches. Outside my body in nine months you gained 12 pounds, 12 oz (putting you at 21 pounds) and grew 8 inches (putting you at 30 inches). Your relative amount of pounds vs inches grown has resulted in a baby who is no longer a scrawny skinny boy, but rather a child who has a little pot belly. It is round and squishy and very zerbit-able. And yes, I just made up that word.
I want to be sure I remember some things you are doing these days, because I know you'll never again be this cute. Oh, sure, you'll be cute. Maybe more cute. Maybe even less cute. But never again will you be quite this kind of cute. Quite this NINE MONTH cute.

I want to remember how you've started humming while you crawl. It's a nice, sing-song kind of hum.

I want to remember how every time we walk in to the house your head swivels around until you spot CoCo, and then you shriek with delight (at least I hope it's delight, and not a "DAMN, that stinky old dog is still here?" kind of scream).
I want to remember how your face breaks in to the best smile when your Daddy comes home from work in the evening.

I want to remember how you do a little panting kind of breathing when you are trying to crawl really fast. Like when your Daddy is chasing you down the hallway.

I want to remember how you like to kiss the baby in the mirror. And the dishwasher. And the sliding glass door.

I want to remember how you make a little "mmmmmm" sound when you kiss Mama, like the sound I make when I kiss you. Except your kisses aren't so much kisses, but rather open-mouthed gumming, with some drool thrown in. Ah, never mind. That sounds like a kiss.

I want to remember how you have suddenly discovered your volume button. And have cranked it up to 10+++. And now just randomly scream for no good reason. Like when we're in the middle of Wal-Mart on a Friday afternoon.
I want to remember the times that you are in your car seat and I look in the mirror and you have your shoe (still on your foot) in your mouth. Shoes are, apparently, delicious.

I want to remember how you'll just randomly start the "aachk" game when we're in the car. Dad and I, of course, will say "aachk" right back to you. But you somehow always seem to get the last word.

I want to remember how you're always wiggling while nursing. How you'll reach down and grab your foot. Or your sock. And sometimes switch between sucking on a nipple and sucking on your toes. I sometimes wonder which tastes better.

I want to remember how, at the end of a bath when you are laying on your back, you always get a big grin on your face, then start kicking like a madman. And then between kicks, pee. Always entertaining!
I want to remember how you giggle when it's time to blow bubbles in swim class. And then you stick your tongue out and try to drink the water. Not exactly what we had in mind, but at least you're not afraid to get your face wet.

I want to remember how you were under the table playing, fell and bashed your head, started crying, and came crawling up to me to bury your head in my lap. I don't really want to remember how then there was blood on my shirt, from your mouth. But I didn't find any large chunks of tongue laying on the ground anywhere, so I am assuming you are ok.
I want to remember how you've started pulling yourself up on anything - a chair, a table, a gate, CoCo's back, Mama's pant leg. And how you've mastered climbing up a stair. Going back down is a different story.

I want to remember you just like this, at nine months and change, because you are ridiculously cute, and cuddly, and giggly, and smiley, and shriek-y. I love you just like this, and yet I can't wait to love you at ten months, eleven, even TWELVE months. When you'll suddenly be huge, and no longer my baby. Although I think you'll always be my baby.

xoxo,
Mama

Faces and Feet and Hands, Oh My!

Today's assignment for photography class? Well, ok. Really it was last Wednesday's assignment, but I've been busy so I just got to it today. Take flattering close-ups of someone's face. Take interesting pictures of feet and hands that tell a story. Do all this with a nine month old child who will not sit still for longer than three nanoseconds. Show me what you come up with. Try to also come up with entertaining titles and captions for said pictures, so you can keep your blog audience from falling asleep.

Also on the to-do list? Use the baby's pants and fast-moving legs to mop up the puddles of water on the deck (our new stain does WAY too efficient a job of letting water pool on the deck boards). Use a different pair of pants to soak up some of Lake Norman in the back yard. And then use copious amounts of Oxy-Clean to soak aforementioned pants, which are now covered in mud.

FEET:

Still for a second:

Future Soccer Star:
Daddy:

HANDS:

I'm not supposed to be doing this:

Taking over Grandpa's job:

Leaves:

FACE:

Pearly Whites:

Hoodie:

Sense of Wonder:

Stem:

Scowl:

Needs a Scholarship:

Surely VT will accept this boy and give him a full ride. I mean, c'mon. He's OBVIOUSLY brilliant!

All Hallows Eve

Happy Halloween! We had a busy, fun, wet, rainy, gloomy day in Maryland. Went to a make-up swimming class since we missed Thursday's class as I was in Virginia watching the Hokies really suck ass while playing and losing to UNC. Nonna, Grandpa, and Dad came along to watch swimming and of course thought Dexter was the most brilliantly talented kid in class. Which, of course, he is. Except maybe for the guy with the baby about Dexter's age who would pull his kid off the side of the pool, have him fall in the pool while he let go of him, and let the kid kick himself back up to the surface and roll over on his back, unassisted. Would Dex do that? Probably. Would MOM do that? No way in hell, thankyouverymuch.

We may need to have Nonna come down for Halloween every year. She was the official door opener and candy-hander-outer, for the 175 kids who rang the doorbell. She was great.

Anyway, here's Dexter's non-Micky Mouse Halloween costume, which he wore much more happily than the Mickey outfit.

It's a bird. It's a plane. It's...

It's SUPERBABY!

Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! With assistance from Dad! (Leaping tall buildings apparently makes your pants fall off)

All that leaping and rescuing people also makes Superbaby tired and hungry - Must. Eat. Hands.

Happy Halloween!